The present invention involves the field of beverage containers. Specifically, the invention is directed to a beverage container for a child, the beverage container changing color responsive to temperature.
Specially designed drinking cups for infants and small children are known. It is desirable to provide such cups to meet the special demands created by infants. First, infants have been known to accidently drop cups or even, on occasion, intentionally throw cups. It is therefore desirable to provide cups made of plastic or other material which will not easily break.
Infants have also been known to otherwise spill beverages contained within the cup. Spills may be the result of a child""s underdeveloped coordination or intentional activities. Thus, it is desirable to provide cups with means to minimize the impact of spill incidents. Such means have included lids, spouts and straws.
Yet another challenge in infant drinking cup design, is the tendency of some children to become bored with their food and beverages. Such boredom may result in increased spilling or dropping incidents. Users of infant drinking cups will clearly recognize that anew and improved cup, which can effectively hold the attention of a child, will minimize the number of spilling, dropping and throwing incidents.
The invention is directed to an infant drinking cup which changes color responsive to temperature. The invention thus provides a cup capable of holding the interest and attention of a child while containing beverages to be consumed thereby.
The infant drinking cup of the present invention is a first color while the cup is at or above a first temperature, which will be referred to herein as the critical xe2x80x9chotxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cwarmxe2x80x9d temperature. When the cup is below a second temperature, which will be called the critical xe2x80x9ccoldxe2x80x9d temperature, the side walls express a second color. The first color will be henceforth referred to as the warm color and the second color will be referred to as the cold color. Hybrid colors may be expressed when the infant drinking cup is exposed to conditions between the critical temperatures.
In the preferred embodiment, the critical hot temperature is below room temperature such that the cup expresses the warm color while exposed thereto. The critical cold temperature of the preferred embodiment is above the temperature of a household refrigerator, such that the cup changes color when a beverage, recently removed from a refrigerator, is poured into the cup. The color change process is fully reversible.
The cup of the current invention is formed from a plastic. A resin is blended with a temperature responsive coloring composition to provide the cold color. The blend is molded into a cup, preferably in a distinctive and attractive shape.